Aerial ropeway with at least one load carrier



May 29, 1962 SCHULE 3,036,531

AERIAL ROPEWAY WITH AT LEAST ONE LOAD CARRIER Filed April 8, 1955 5Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. 6'4 are r 5am E May 29, 1962 A. SCHULE 3, 5

AERIAL ROPEWAY WITH AT LEAST ONE LOAD CARRIER Filed April 8, 1955 5Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. ,9; 5527- 327/045 A TT'OENEVf y 9, 1962 A.SCHULE 3,036,531

AERIAL ROPEWAY WITH AT LEAST ONE LOAD CARRIER Filed April 8; 1955 5Sheets-Sheet s INVENTOR. #45527- 5040745 aiid,am*m

A 7- ENE Y5 y 9, 1962 A. SCHULE 3,036,531

AERIAL ROPEWAY WITH AT LEAST ONE LOAD CARRIER Filed April 8, 1955 5Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTIOIIQ. ALaEer 505 045 AFZJJPMMFM A rr-arems Y5 A.SCHULE AERIAL ROPEWAY WITH AT LEAST ONE LOAD CARRIER Filed April 8, 19555 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTQ R. 44 are? 56,4045

- BY M44, MM 44% United States Patent Ofitice 3,036,531 Patented May 29,1962 land Filed Apr. 8, 1955, Ser. No. 500,055 17 Claims. (Cl. 104-202)The present invention relates to aerial ropeways with moving carryingropes and load carriers which can be suspended from any point of thecarrying rope and clamp themselves automatically to the said rope, itbeing possible to guide the carrying ropes over snatch blocks and guidepulleys.

Aerial ropeways of this kind are already known and they generally makeuse of pincer-shaped rope clamps for suspending the carriers, whichclamps, either by the action of the load to be transported or in someother way, are locked about the carrying rope and thus secure thecarrier to the said rope. The suggestion has also already been made tosurround the carrying rope with hooks twisted in the shape of a spiral.These known designs of aerial ropeways, however, are by no meanssatisfactory, especially as regards a reliable method of suspending andremoving the carriers, and thus, in the event of these operations beingmade partly or fully automatic, disturbances are caused.

The present invention aims at eliminating imperfections of this kind andrelates to an aerial ropeway with a moving carrying rope, at least oneload carrier which can be suspended from any desired point of the ropeand clamps itself automatically to the said rope, as well as with guidepulleys and snatch blocks for the said rope. The invention ischaracterized by the fact that the carrier has on one gripper arm atleast one rope gripper, bent in two places, which encircles the carryingrope in an axial direction with approximately one whole turn and which,at the point where it joins the gripper arm in the latters operatingposition, passes over the carrying rope with its first half turn andunder the said rope with its second half turn. Secured to that end ofthe gripper arm which faces away from the rope gripper is a hangingcarrying leg which is arranged to receive the load and is swivelable inat least one direction. The shape of the gripper arm, relative to thelongitudinal axis of the rope gripper, is such that the carrying leg,both when loaded and unloaded, exerts on the rope gripper a twistingmoment which presses the first half turn of the said gripper downwardsand the second half turn upwards against the carrying rope. The gripperarm is set at an angle to the vertical plane through the carrying ropeand the carriers center of gravity. The invention is also characterizedby the fact that the guide pulleys and snatch blocks are provided withat least one star-shaped edge for the rope guide groove.

In the following a few typical embodiments of the in vention aredescribed in detail in conjunction with FIGS. 1 to 13. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of a typical embodiment of the ropegripper.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are a side and horizontal projection respectively ofanother typical embodiment of the rope gripper and gripper arm.

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 are a front, side and horizontal projectionrespectively of a typical embodiment of the carrier with a rope gripper.

FIGS. 7 and 8 are a front and side view respectively of a carriersimilar to that shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, but with two rope grippers.

FIG. 9 is a front view of another carrier similar to that shown in FIGS.4 to 6, also with two rope grippers.

FIGS. 10 and 11 are a front and side view respectively of anothercarrier with two rope grippers, together with a star-shaped guidepulley.

FIGS. 12 and 13 are both side views of a carrier similar to that shownin FIGS. 4 to 6, together with typical embodiments of a star-shapedguide pulley or snatch block.

FIGS. 14 and 15 are a front and side view respectively of a typicalembodiment of a carrier with a bogie wagon designed to be supported on astationary second rope.

FIGS. 16 and 17 are a front and side view respectively of a typicalembodiment of a support rocker.

FIGS. 18 and 19 are an upright and horizontal projection respectively ofa tree bracket for an aerial ropeway.

FIG. 20 is a side view of a carrier with automatically disengageablebogie wagon.

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic reproduction in perspective of a typicalembodiment of the rope gripper according to the present invention. Thegripper is shown in its operating position on the movable carrying ropeI which is indicated by dotted lines. The rope gripper consists here ofa flat bar bent in two places; the first semi-circular bend 2 enclosesthe rope I from above and the second semi-circular bend 3 grips the ropeI from below. A web 4 running approximately parallel to the axis of therope connects the two bends 2 and 3 of the flat bar. The first bend 2 islocated just where the rope gripper joins the gripper arm 5 which isonly partly shown in. FIG. 1.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the rope gripper may also consist of a flatbar, the bends 6 and 7 of which are drawn apart in the direction of theropes axis so that there is no longer a clearly discernible connectingweb between the two. In the typical embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 and 3,the gripper arm consists of -a front section 8, a middle section 9 andan end piece 10*. In the normal operating position, the curves willdepend on the diameter of the carrying rope, the angle of inclination ofthe aerial ropeway and the load to be carried. It is, of course, alsopossible to use an aerial ropeway for transporting loads of varyingsizes with differently dimensioned carriers and rope grippers.

The rope grippers illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3 reveal sharp edges on thesurfaces touching the carrying rope. They have, of course, only beendrawn thus in order to obtain a clear reproduction, and in actual factthe surfacesthose, at least, which come into contact with the carryingrope-are provided with rounded edges. The rope grippers shown in FIGS. 1to 3 and the gripper arms are preferably made in one piece, but theycan, of course, also be composed of two or more sections, should this bedesired.

The end piece 10 of the grab arm shown in "-FIGS. 2 and 3 is designed asa pivot for the top bearing 15 of a hanging carrying leg 16. A typicalembodiment of the latter can be seen in FIGS. 4 to 6. It consists of theupper section 16 and the cross arm 17 with the flat fish plate 18 forsecuring the load in the hole 19. If the load is sufficiently large andacts in the direction of arrow 20, the carrier will occupy the positionillustrated in FIGS. 4 to 6, in which the gripper arm, or at least itsfront section 8, forms an angle (FIGS. 5 and 6) with the vertical plane21 determined by the carrying rope I and the center of gravity, or inother words, the gripper arm lies transverse to the said plane. The netweight and the shape of the different parts of the carrier are, however,so attuned to each other that even when the carrying leg 16, 17 isunloaded, the carrier has a center of gravity in which the gripper arm,or its front section 8, still forms a sufiiciently wide angle with thevertical plane 21. The fact that the gripper arm, or at least its front3 section 8, runs transverse to the vertical plane 21 is characteristicof the carrier according to the present invention and facilitates thedesign of the snatch blocks and guide pulleys to be explainedsubsequently.

The hanging carrying leg 16, 17 of the carrier as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6is swivellable about the axis 13 of the gripper arms end piece 10. Thisensures, on the one hand, that the force acting on the gripper arm, orthe end piece 10, is always directed vertically downwards but, on theother hand, that the load secured to the fish plate 18 maintains, ifdesired, a predetermined position in respect of the longitudinal axis ofthe carrying rope 1. This is advantageous when bulky loads are beingcarried. It is, of course, also possible to arrange for the carrying leg16, 17 to be swivellably secured to the gripper arm in a differentmanner depending on the use the aerial ropeway is put to and on itscarrying rope guide.

FIGS. 4 to 6 illustrate a carrier in which the hanging carrying leg 16,17 is only secured to a single gripper arm. The present invention,however, is not restricted to this and two gripper arms 8, 9, and 8, 9,10, running in opposite directions to each other, can also be used. Themethod, too, ensures that the load on each gripper arm acts in an atleast approximately vertical downwards direction and that both gripperarms, at least with their front sections 8, 8', make an angle with thevertical plane 21. When two gripper arms are used, they may, however,also run parallel to each other as shown in FIG. 9. But in the case oftwo gripper arms of this type it is only possible to provide one commonaxis of rotation for the coaxially arranged end pieces 10, as isillustrated by the typical embodiment in FIGS. 10 and 11.

The design of the rope gripper and gripper arm described in theforegoing enables the rope gripper to be disengaged from the carryingrope simply by raising the load and thus the carrying leg, and,conversely, it enables the rope gripper to be securely connected to thecarrying rope when the front section of the gripper arm hanging from thecarrying leg is mounted on the carrying rope and the load and carryingleg are lowered. This simple method of removing and suspending the loadsto be carried together with the carriers from the carrying rope enablesthese operations to be extensively mechanized.

The typical embodiments of the carriers according to the presentinvention which have been described in the foregoing enable particularlysimple and effective guide pulleys or snatch blocks to be used in theaerial ropeway according to the present invention. A typical embodimentof a pulley of this sort is shown in FIG. 12 together with a carrier ofthe type illustrated in FIGS. 4 to 6. The pulley in FIG. 12 possessesthe usual rope guide groove 22, only one rim 23 of which is raised,while the opposite rim is formed merely by the scalloped extensions 24with intermediate rimless gaps 25. As has already been mentioned severaltimes, the front section 8 of the gripper arm makes an angle with thevertical plane 21, as can be seen in FIG. 12, and can therefore runwithout hindrance and together with the carrying rope I over a guidepulley of the type envisaged in the invention, the gripper arm movingeach time into a gap 25 in the rim. The scalloped extensions 24facilitate the movement of the carrier over the pulley concerned and atthe same time form Webs which prevent the carrying rope 1 slipping outof the guide groove 22. In the case of such star-shaped pulleys, thepulleys axis of rotation 26 may also run at an oblique angle to thehorizontal, as is indicated, for instance, by 26a or 2611, without fearof the tautly stretched carrying rope I slipping off. Another typicalembodiment of a pulley which can also be used with a vertical axis ofrotation 26c is illustrated in FIG. 13. Here, the rope guide groove 22is bounded on both sides by a plurality of prong-like extensions 27, 28in such a way that the front section 8 of the gripper arm can run overthe pulley between adjacent pronglike extensions even when the guidegroove 22 is horizontal. The prongs 28 located underneath prevent thecarrying rope 1 from sliding off the pulley. If, in the case of anunsymmetrical load on the carrier, there is a fear of the hangingcarrying leg 16 knocking against the guide Wheel, a slide plate 16a isarranged on the said leg as is shown in FIGS. 10' and 11.

In the case of heavy loads it may be desirable to relieve the movingcarrying rope of part of the weight of the goods it is transporting. Forthis purpose, as shown in the FIGS. 14 and 15, a bogie wagon 29 withwheels 30, 31 are arranged on the bottom cross arm 17 of the carryingleg of a carrier similar to that illustrated in FIGS. 4 to 6. The saidwagon runs on a stationary auxiliary rope 32. The load is then suspendedfrom this bogie Wagon 29 via a fork 33, 34. Here, therefore, the rope 1carries only part of the load, but propels the bogie wagon 29 by meansof the rope gripper clamped to it and by means of the carrier. In orderto balance differences in the distance between carrying rope 1 andauxiliary rope 32, the carrying leg 16, 17 of the carrier can in thepresent instance be equipped with an elastic connecting link 35.

FIGS. 16 and 17 show, as a further typical embodiment, a so-calledsupport rocker tip with two guide pulleys or snatch blocks 30a, 30bwhich can be designed in accordance with FIGS. 10, 12 or 13 as desired.Both these pulleys 30a, 30b are swivellably secured to a triangularframe 31 which, in its turn, has an eye 33 which is located in thesymmetry plane 21 and to which the said frame is movably secured on allsides. Here, the carrying rope 1 running over the pulleys 30a, 30b, isprevented from slipping off by upper holding pulley 34. As in thetypical embodiment already shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, here, too, a slideplate is provided in order to prevent an undesirable bumping of thecarriers as they run over the support rocker. Experience has shown thatthe carriers run more smoothly over a support rocker of this sort thanover individual support or snatch blocks. In addition, such a supportrocker allows the carrying rope 1 greater deviation in the verticalplane. The symmetry plane 32 of the support rocker is always parallel tothe line bisecting the angle between the feed and delivery ends of thecarrying rope. In this position, the support rocker can yieldelastically to one-sided impacts on one of its pulleys, thus ensuringsmooth operation of the ropeway.

An excellent device for the rapid erection of guide pulleys or snatchblocks as shown in FIGS. 10 to 13 and of support rockers as shown inFIGS. 16 and 17 is diagrammatically illustrated in FIGS. 18 and 19. Thisdevice consists of a tree bracket with the approximately horizontalcarrying arm 36, the back prop 37 and the oblique struts 38. The treebracket is designed for quick fastening to a tree trunk 39 and possessesfor this purpose a chain 40 and a fish plate 41 or 42 on the left orright side respectively. The chain 40 is secured to a nose 43 of theback prop 37 which is bent out from the tree trunk 39. The length of thechain is adjustable link by link. The whole bracket is placed againstthe tree trunk 39 in the position indicated by dotted lines in FIG. 18,the chain 40 being reduced to its shortest length and secured to thenose 43. The bracket is then swung downward into its operating positionuntil the back prop 37 bears against the tree trunk 39. Here, the chain40 is tautened as a result of the lever action exerted by the bent-overnose 43 of the back prop 37 and thus holds the bracket rigidly in thepre-selected position. To prevent the bracket from jerking back, thefish plates 41 and 42 are provided with through holes through whichnails or hooks 44 or 45 are driven into the trunk 39. The carrying arm36 serves to receive the guide and support pulleys, as indicated inFIGS. 18 and 19 for instance, of the support rocker shown in FIGS. 16and 17. Depending on the desired course of the carrying rope 1, the saidsupport rocker is adjustable along the carrying arm 36 and swivellablein its eyes 33 about the longitudinal axis of the said arm.

In conclusion, it must also be pointed out that the aerial ropeway andthe various carriers can, if desired, be provided with automatic devicesfor disengaging the carriers or the load hanging from the said carriersat predetermined and preselected stations along the aerial rope- -way. Adevice of this sort, arranged on a carrier similar to that shown in FIG.14, is illustrated diagrammatically in FIG. 20 and is designed for usein the event of the bogie wagon 29, 30, 31 being automatically separatedfrom the grip 46 of the carrier 16 with which it is coupled via a hook47. The hook 47 enclosing the grip 46 is located at the rear by a pawl48 so that in the position illustrated in FIG. 20 the coupling ofcarrier to bogie wagon via the grip 46 is ensured. Both the book 47 andthe pawl 48 are each swivellable about an axis in the body of the bogiewagon 29 and can spring apart into the position 47 or 48, marked withdashes, but only when they are released by an adjustable automaticmechanism actuated by the turn-knob 49. This automatic mechanismcomprises a mechanical counter which is shifted one step further eachtime the feeler lever 50 is actuated, the hook 47 and the pawl 48 onlybeing released, owing to the fact that the feeler lever 50 has beenoperated several times in succession, when the counter reaches theposition previously selected on the turn-knob 49. In this way it can bedetermined from any departure station at which of the following stationsthe coupling between carrier and bogie wagon is to be released, since ateach station the feeler lever 50 will, as it passes the station, beautomatically actuated once, or, in other words, the counter located inthe bogie wagon will be advanced one step each time.

I claim:

1. A carrier for an aerial rope way for transporting a suspended load,said carrier comprising a gripper with offset oppositely opening hookportions respectively engageable with a rope from above and below, andmeans for suspending a load from said gripper to be sustained andpropelled by a rope with which the gripper is connected, said meansincluding a load sustaining portion disposed beneath the gripper in asubstantially vertical plane including the hook portions and having anintermediate arm portion extending from the gripper laterally away fromsaid plane.

2. The combination of claim 1 in which said downwardly opening hookportion is connected with the upwardly opening hook portion by anintermediate portion extending along the rope, whereby said loadsustaining portion is offset from the gripper beyond the downwardlyopening hook portion of the gripper from the upwardly opening hookportion thereof, whereby weight on said load sustaining portion willtend to clamp the gripper upon a rope with which it is engaged.

3. For use in a rope way having a load propelling rope, the combinationwith at least one gripper engageable with such a rope .and havingdownwardly and upwardly opening hook portions offset from each otheraxially of the rope, an arm in substantially rigid connection with saidgripper and projecting therefrom laterally of a vertical plane throughsaid gripper hook portions, a load supporting device having a swivelconnection with said arm at a point laterally offset from said verticalplane through the gripper hook portions, said device including loadsupporting means carried substantially in said vertical plane throughthe hook portions of the gripper whereby weight imposed through saiddevice upon said arm and gripper will maintain said swivel connectionlaterally offset from said plane.

4. The combination of claim 3 in which the swivel connection betweensaid device and arm is offset beyond the downwardly opening hook portionof the gripper from the upwardly opening hook portion thereof whereby tosubject the gripper to a rope-cramping moment.

5. The combination of claim 3 in which the gripper and arm are inunitary rigid connection.

6. The combination of claim 3 in further combination with a secondgripper having a swivel connection with said device and having hookportions respectively opening upwardly and downwardly and disposedsubstantially in the aforesaid plane to be adapted to be engagedconcurrently with the same rope with which the hook portions of thefirst mentioned gripper are engaged.

7. The combination of claim 5 in which both grippers are offset in thesame longitudinal direction from said device.

8. For use on the supporting and propelling rope of a rope way, a loadsuspending and propelling means comprising in combination a gripperincluding an upwardly opening hook engageable with the rope, a first armextending from said hook in the direction of a rope so engaged, adownwardly opening hook rigidly connected with said first arm andtherethrough with the upwardly opening hook, a second arm extending fromthe downwardly opening hook in .a direction having components bothlateral and longitudinal respecting a rope engaged by said hooks,bearing means mounted on the second arm to be carried thereby in aposition laterally offset from a vertical plane through the hooks ofsaid gripper and longitudinally offset from said gripper hookssufficiently to subject said hooks to a rope-cramping moment, and a loadsupporting member swiveled on the bearing means and extending downwardlytherefrom and inwardly toward said plane and having a load supportsubstantially in said plane.

9. A load carrier for use on an aerial rope way and including a ropetraveling over sheaves, the carrier comprising a pair of grippers eachhaving offset oppositely opening hook portions severally engageable withthe rope from above and below the rope, the hooks of the pair ofgrippers engaging the rope in spaced relation axially thereof, means forattachment of the load and suspension thereof between and insubstantially a vertical plane below the hooks, and swivel meansconnecting both the grippers with the load attaching means for movementof the load relative to the grippers.

10. A load carrier for use on an .aerial rope way and including a ropetraveling over sheaves, the carrier com prising a pair of grippers eachhaving offset oppositely opening hook portions severally engageable withthe rope from above and below the rope and arms extending laterally fromthe rope, the hooks of the pair of grippers engaging the rope in spacedrelation axially thereof and the gripper arms extending toward eachother, means for attachment of the load and suspension thereof betweenand in substantially a vertical plane below the hooks, and swivel meansconnecting both the grippers with the load attaching means for movementof the load relative to the grippers.

11. A load carrier for use on an aerial rope way and including a ropetraveling over sheaves, the carrier comprising a pair of grippers eachhaving offset oppositely opening hook portions severally engageable withthe rope from above and below the rope, the hooks of the pair ofgrippers engaging the rope in spaced relation axially thereof and thegripper arms extending toward each other at an acute angle with therope, means for attachment of the load and suspension thereof atsubstantially equal distances from and in. substantially a verticalplane below the hooks, and swivel means connecting both the gripperswith the load attaching means for movement of the load relative to thegrippers.

12. A load carrier for use on an aerial rope way and including a ropetraveling over sheaves, the carrier comprising a pair of grippers eachhaving ofiset oppositely opening hook portions severally engageable withthe rope from above and below the rope, the hooks of the pair ofgrippers engaging the rope in spaced relation axially thereof andextending in opposite directions along the rope, means for attachment ofthe load and suspension thereof in substantially a vertical plane belowthe hooks, and swivel means connecting both the grippers with the loadattaching means for movement of the load relative to the grippers.

13. A load carrier for use on an aerial rope way and including a ropetraveling over sheaves, the carrier comprising a pair of grippers eachhaving offset oppositely opening hook portions severally engageable withthe rope from above and below the rope and arms extending laterally fromthe rope and in substantially parallel relation, the hooks of the pairof grippers engaging the rope in spaced relation axially thereof andextending in the same direction along the rope, means for attachment ofthe load and suspension thereof in substantially a vertical plane belowthe hooks, and swivel means connecting both the grippers with the loadattaching means for movement of the load relative to the grippers.

14. A load carrier for use on an aerial rope way and including a ropetraveling over sheaves, the carrier comprising a pair of grippers eachhaving offset oppositely opening hook portions severally engageable withthe rope from above and below the rope and in spaced relation axiallythereof and arms extending laterally from the rope and in substantiallyparallel relation, means for attachment of the load and suspensionthereof in substantially a vertical plane below the hooks, and swivelmeans connecting both the grippers with the load attaching means formovement of the load relative to the grippers.

15. A load carrier for use on an aerial rope way and including a ropetraveling over sheaves, the carrier comprising a pair of grippers eachhaving offset oppositely opening hook portions severally engageable withthe rope from above and below the rope, the hooks of the pair ofgrippers engaging the rope in spaced relation axially thereof, means forattachment of the load and suspension thereof in substantially avertical plane below the hooks, swivel means connecting both thegrippers with the load attaching means for movement of the load relativeto the grippers, and a plate fixed on the load attaching means forsliding on the sheaves upon movement of said means toward the sheaves.

' 16. A load carrier for use on an aerial rope Way including apropelling rope and a supporting rope and sheaves carrying the ropes,the carrier comprising a pair of grippers each having offset oppositelyopening hook portions severally engageable with the rope and from aboveand below the rope and arms extending laterally from the rope, a wheeledbogie wagon for attachment of the load thereto and running on thesupporting rope, leg means attached to the bogie wagon, and swivel meansattaching the leg means to the gripper arms, the leg being divided intotwo portions extensibly connected for compensating for differences inspacing between the ropes.

17. For use in a ropeway having a load propelling rope, the combinationwith a leg having a load propelling portion adapted to lie substantiallyin a vertical plane beneath said propelling rope, said leg extendingfrom said portion laterally from said plane and upwardly to a leveloffset at the side of and slightly beneath the position of such a rope,and a pair of arms pivoted transversely to said leg and extendingtherefrom laterally toward said vertical plane and upwardly to the levelof the rope and respectively provided with helical rope grippingportions of opposite pitch and projecting in opposite directions alongthe rope.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS586,762 Eaves et a1 July 20, 1897 1,101,635 Koselak June 30, 19141,170,007 Shields et a1 Feb. 1, 1916 2,079,491 Cooke May 4, 19372,473,300 Puricelli Tune 14, 1949 2,617,363 Anketell Nov. 11, 19522,632,402 Reussner Mar. 24, 1953 2,737,124 Schule Mar. 6, 1956 FOREIGNPATENTS 511,790 Belgium June 14, 1952 281,683 Germany Feb. 25, 19144,095 Great Britain Feb. 19, 1912 671,134 Great Britain Apr. 30, 1952

